Tom in Iraq as a Military Observer

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

We have 240 years of experience and not even 1 year of
wisdom. We should be celebrating that
our Grand Experiment that we call the United States of America has once again
survived. Power will transition by the
vote and civility not by bullets and bayonets; yet so many seek divisiveness
even after the election.

Elections and campaigns are tough, demanding much from the
candidates and the electorate. Sometimes
the dialogue dies and only demonizing exchanges of vitriol and acrimony remain
in the final days before votes are cast.
But in decades past, Americans set aside their pettiness and supported
whomever was elected, charging them to do what is best for this great
nation. Our differences could take a
back seat to our patriotism and we could give those elected to office a chance
to do right by the longstanding process that elected them.

The election just accomplished is not far off from the one
on the horizon. Wisdom beckons us to
give those elected a chance to do right by the people and the Constitution and
by almighty God. Can we not open our
eyes and see that many have won and lost in the past, to include many contests
noted by nobility and others by mud wrestling, but a victor emerged and the
country transitioned power.

I have embraced some elected officials, tolerated others,
and was just outright unhappy over some elections that didn’t come out
according to my view of the best for American; but my loyalty to this great
nation demanded that I give those elected a chance to do the best that they
could.

That meant praying for them instead of demeaning them. That meant corresponding with them instead of
taking public potshots at them. That
meant exercising wisdom over vitriol and patriotism over selfishness. I plan to stay that course. I ask that you join me.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Saturday, 12 November 2016.
Gathering at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning may be a challenge for some
but not for all. Over two dozen students
gathered with a few adults at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat
to go out into the community to collect food to begin the fall food
drives. This event was sponsored by
Scout Troop 310 but truly was a community event because of the student
involvement.

In less than two hours, food was collected, checked for
expiration dates, and sorted by type.
Food drives at Will Rogers Elementary and the BFDC High School typically
add to this so that the needs of those who might otherwise go without are
met. Participation of the students not
only made the tasks of the morning go quickly, it is also training in service
and helps to promote compassion in the generations to come.

Friday, November 11, 2016

In Act IV, Scene 3 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar,
there is a dialogue between Brutus and Cassius about whether to attack or
defend. The safe course is to defend and
cause the enemy to expend his forces in greater number than the defender.

But the only chance of victory is to advance when everything
is in place. The only chance of
achieving great things is not to hesitate when the time is right. This did not work out for either of the two
men conversing in the play or on the actual plains near Philippi.

Octavian, better known in the Christian world as Caesar
Augustus, would be the ultimate winner of the 4 men contending to succeed Julius
Caesar as Emperor of Rome. But consider
now the words of Brutus as penned by Shakespeare before the battle near
Philippi.

But how many have died never trying? How many people go to their graves having
never given a great cause a chance.

Today, we are on the verge of taking a chance. We have a new president elect. We have the current establishment pledged to
a professional transition. We have the
best opportunity that this nation has had in many decades to bring back what I
can only characterize as the pioneer spirit.

We as a nation once had a hardiness to us. We expected struggles in our lives. We sought to overcome them. We moved west to conquer the wilderness.

Now so many seek to see what they can get for nothing. They pour out vitriol online. They demonize those who oppose them, which we
understand somewhat in the middle of the fight; but now that this round is
over, it is time to heal, support the victor for a time, and accomplish what
can be done in a political system not designed for efficiency but to make
difficult the accumulation of power in a single man or group.

But there is a tide in the affairs of men when things must
be accomplished for inaction surrenders to mediocrity.

There is a tide in the affairs of men and high tide is
almost here. Our elected officials who
have done little but demean the offices to which they were elected to serve the
people, must set aside pettiness and do the work of a statesman. They must serve those who sent them to represent
us all. They must reject personal
interest and embrace the attitude of a servant.

There is a tide in the affairs of men. Get the protests and bickering out of your
system now. Embrace that change has
come. Consider that most democracies do
not survive beyond 200 years. Understand
that the republican nature of our democratic desires keeps us afloat beyond the
historical model. But know that our
liberty and our hope diminish in continued acrimony.

There is a tide in the affairs of men. It is time to move beyond our state of divisiveness
to a time of unity and action.

To all who have been elected to serve, now is the time to
truly serve your nation. Put aside
selfish differences and do what is best for America. Your children’s children have placed their
futures in your hands.

Be faithful to God and this fantastic idea that we know as
America. Do not hesitate to do the right things for this is the right time.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

It is the 8th of November 2016 and I
don’t know anyone who voted for Donald Trump.
I suspect that I won’t find anyone if I look the rest of the day or the
week or the month or the year.

I don’t know anyone who voted for Obama in 2008
or 2012. Seriously, I don’t know a single person who voted for him.
When I think back on it, I don’t know anyone that voted for Bill Clinton in
1992 or 1996 either. I know some people who voted for him for governor,
but not for president.

Put aside your partisan politics for a moment
and consider this. Most people in the United States do not remember who
they voted for in the last Presidential Election. I don't remember and I
suspect that you don't either. So you think I'm nuts do you? Well
that may be true, but I'm certain of my facts.

I also have it on good authority that
fewer than 600 people voted for Bill Clinton in 1992, and even with his mandate
in 1996, there were fewer than 538 that voted for him that year. I'm not
getting these figures from some straw poll I conducted in downtown Burns Flat,
America--though that is both the cultural and political center of this great
republic (OK, that last part is only opinion, but the rest of this article is
fact). Being the only Republican from a family of Democrats, I often am
not taken seriously when I tell them that I have never met anyone that voted
for Clinton. Still don't believe me? So you want answers? You
want the truth? You can't handle the truth. In 1992, only 370
people voted for Clinton. In 1996, only 379 people voted for him, but
sure enough that's him in the oval office.

Want to know more? The real election
for president didn't occur until December in 1992 and in 1996. We have
narrowed it down to 538 people that could have voted for Clinton in 1996--and
you thought we conducted elections by secret ballot. Actually, the people
that elected our current president even signed their names to their ballot and
your government knows who they are. You say that 538 number
sounds familiar, but you can't quite place it. It's got nothing to do
with the grassy knoll or the number of times that your Microsoft operated
computer shuts down each day due to an illegal operation. That's right
it's the total number of Senators and Representatives in the United States
Congress, but they don't elect the president. In fact, they are not even
permitted to vote for the president. So is this coincidence or
conspiracy?

Actually, it's neither. It's Article
II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States of America that provides
for the election of a United States President. "Each State shall
appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors,
equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State
may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person
holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be
appointed an Elector." Yes our president is elected by people we
call electors. When you vote in a presidential election, you are voting
for electors. We call this group of people the Electoral College.
This is a special year in our country's constitutional process. We
get to experience both a census and a presidential election. By mid
September, when your television is inundated with political commercials and
commentaries, you'll probably say "enough with the experience."
But with Independence Day still on our minds, this might just be a good time to
find a copy of our Constitution and refresh our memories on how we elect a
president.

I'll close with a special warning to my
Republican brethren. The fox is in the henhouse. Guess who is in
charge of counting the votes for the 2000 Presidential Election? You
guessed it--Al Gore. That Buddhist Temple stuff is small potatoes
compared to this. Speaking of potatoes, wasn't it Dan Quale that was in
charge of counting the votes for president in 1992? I knew we should have
followed up after that spelling thing…

This was a piece first
published in conjunction with the 2000 election. I occasionally resurrect
it during subsequent elections.

It is the 8th of November 2016 and I
don’t know anyone who voted for Hillary Clinton. I suspect that I won’t find anyone if I look
the rest of the day or the week or the month or the year.

What?

I don’t know anyone who voted for Obama in 2008
or 2012. Seriously, I don’t know a single person who voted for him.
When I think back on it, I don’t know anyone that voted for Bill Clinton in
1992 or 1996 either. I know some people who voted for him for governor,
but not for president.

Put aside your partisan politics for a moment
and consider this. Most people in the United States do not remember who
they voted for in the last Presidential Election. I don't remember and I
suspect that you don't either. So you think I'm nuts do you? Well
that may be true, but I'm certain of my facts.

I also have it on good authority that
fewer than 600 people voted for Bill Clinton in 1992, and even with his mandate
in 1996, there were fewer than 538 that voted for him that year. I'm not
getting these figures from some straw poll I conducted in downtown Burns Flat,
America--though that is both the cultural and political center of this great
republic (OK, that last part is only opinion, but the rest of this article is
fact). Being the only Republican from a family of Democrats, I often am
not taken seriously when I tell them that I have never met anyone that voted
for Clinton. Still don't believe me? So you want answers? You
want the truth? You can't handle the truth. In 1992, only 370
people voted for Clinton. In 1996, only 379 people voted for him, but
sure enough that's him in the oval office.

Want to know more? The real election
for president didn't occur until December in 1992 and in 1996. We have
narrowed it down to 538 people that could have voted for Clinton in 1996--and
you thought we conducted elections by secret ballot. Actually, the people
that elected our current president even signed their names to their ballot and
your government knows who they are. You say that 538 number
sounds familiar, but you can't quite place it. It's got nothing to do
with the grassy knoll or the number of times that your Microsoft operated
computer shuts down each day due to an illegal operation. That's right
it's the total number of Senators and Representatives in the United States
Congress, but they don't elect the president. In fact, they are not even
permitted to vote for the president. So is this coincidence or
conspiracy?

Actually, it's neither. It's Article
II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States of America that provides
for the election of a United States President. "Each State shall
appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors,
equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State
may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person
holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be
appointed an Elector." Yes our president is elected by people we
call electors. When you vote in a presidential election, you are voting
for electors. We call this group of people the Electoral College.
This is a special year in our country's constitutional process. We
get to experience both a census and a presidential election. By mid
September, when your television is inundated with political commercials and
commentaries, you'll probably say "enough with the experience."
But with Independence Day still on our minds, this might just be a good time to
find a copy of our Constitution and refresh our memories on how we elect a
president.

I'll close with a special warning to my
Republican brethren. The fox is in the henhouse. Guess who is in
charge of counting the votes for the 2000 Presidential Election? You
guessed it--Al Gore. That Buddhist Temple stuff is small potatoes
compared to this. Speaking of potatoes, wasn't it Dan Quale that was in
charge of counting the votes for president in 1992? I knew we should have
followed up after that spelling thing…

This was a piece first
published in conjunction with the 2000 election. I occasionally resurrect
it with a new hook during subsequent elections.

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Ten Talents: A Play in 3 Acts

Many years ago, make that almost four decades ago, I wrote the unofficial school newspaper. Its name was The Biased Observer. As the name would indicate, it was more a look at events of the week through one set of eyes than any attempt to objectively report the news. The news was what old people watched. I was more concerned with issues closer to the heartbeat of humanity, such as how many times in one week was a high school cafeteria allowed to serve beans as the main course.

Through the years, I acquired some higher education, experience in many cultures, and some insight as to the workings of the mind. Today, I teach thinking skills and creativity among my other passions.

One thing that I have learned is that you just cannot look at something objectively. If someone says, let's look at this objectively, they mean let's look at this through my view of objectivity. We all perceive our surroundings differently. In parallel thinking, we separate the elements of thinking and focus on each of them separately and the product is a much more objective (and considerably more effective) examination of a topic or issue. Even with these specific tools, we never truly get to objectivity. Parallel Thinking enables us to broaden our base of objectivity, but we should realize that objectivity cannot be fully obtained. When I first used The Biased Observer as a title for my periodic accounts of the world, its purpose was to relieve me from any responsibility to apply critical examination to any of the topics I wanted to discuss.

I'll revive the title in this column as a realization that no matter how much objective effort is applied to a topic, it will always retain much of the bias of its author. But much like variety, the author's bias can be the spice of life.

This column will focus on a variety of topics, each seasoned with an assortment of spices. Its intent is to inspire, provoke, and occasional provide some relief from the issues of the week. I think you will enjoy it, but then again, I am a little biased.

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About Me

Tom Spence is the pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. He is a retired Marine Corps officer, published author, and occasionally catches a shot of something that just says Oklahoma.